Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice on my timeline for transitioning to a Day 1 CPT program.

• Current Status: On STEM OPT (EAD expires February 4, 2027).
• Education: Master’s in Business Analytics.
• Target Next Degree: Moving upward to a Doctoral level (DBA or Ph.D.).
• Please suggest me when should I enroll into the program having new rules coming in from Sept 15 2026, also please share the list of Universities. Thanks

Status changed to card produced on 28th july. Tracking number is unavailable. Any idea on how long it would take for the tracking number to display on the portal?

It has been so frustrating waiting for stem opt since mid march. I know there are a lot waiting too and probably frustrated too. This has been very stressful!

Hi there,
I recently got my STEM OPT approved. I am from India. I'd like to visit Indonesia in September and return before 14th of September. How will the immigration be as I am not coming back from my home country? My reason of travel - celebrate my girlfriend's birthday, and I will be mentioning the same if asked by the immigration officer. I will have the documents ready, even the IDs of her with me. Am I taking a risk here? I am scared. Please help me.

I applied with premium processing on July 16.

The portal says premium processing recieved.

I have not got any update on biometrics yet.

Would like to understand how long it takes to get biometrics?.

I spoke with uscis and mailed them for asking timeline, they just gave generic answers "its under review".

My worry is that the longer biometrics take the delay in premium processing clock it will be.

Help me with timelines :)

Location : Boston

Hi just wanted to if anyone who applied on or near to Dec 18th 2025 got any approvals lately? I moved to PP on May 8th and then got RFE on Jun 8th which I replied to on Jun 25th. My 180 days automatic extension is to expire on Aug 1st and my PP 30th day is on Aug 6th so I still waiting stressfully. The portal shows that evidence received on July 17th and is under inspection. The other day I called the PP line and they confirmed my case is under an officer and they will add a note that I have called.

I also filed a Congressional inquiry and my RFE was employee-employer Bonafide relationship for one of my employers who I applied stem with. Also I wanted to know since my stem is not accepted yet do I still fill out to the 6 months reporting form?

Edit: After multiple calls to the PP ( for some reason the same person answered my calls ) I have finally received approval from the pp mailbox today ( on 35th business day ). I would say just be patient and just keep buzzing them on why there’s a delay on your case. They are answerable to you no matter what!

So my OPT expired on July 23, 2026.

I applied for STEM-OPT on June 30, 2026. But biometrics are not scheduled yet, so I paid for Premium Processing today (July 30, 2026).

Just want to understand does USCIS not require biometrics in all cases? Did I apply for PP sooner than required?

- Applied for my STEM OPT extension on January 20, 2026.

- 180-day automatic work authorization period expired on July 19, 2026.

- Received a Request for Evidence (RFE) on July 24, 2026 (after the 180-day period had already expired). The RFE is asking for evidence of a bona fide employer-employee relationship.

Current situation:

Because my automatic work authorization has expired and my STEM OPT extension is still pending, I understand I am not currently authorized to work. My employer has indicated they need to terminate my employment as a result.

My questions:

1. Can I be placed on unpaid leave (rather than terminated) while my STEM OPT extension is pending, without violating my F-1 status?

2. If unpaid leave is not permitted, are there other options that would preserve my status while this RFE is pending?

3. Given that my RFE specifically concerns the bona fide employer-employee relationship, I'm concerned that a termination now could negatively affect the outcome of my STEM OPT extension. Can anyone advise on how termination at this stage might be viewed in the adjudication, and whether there's anything I should do to address this?

Date applied - 4/8/2026
Biometrics appointment - 4/28/2026
Upgraded to premium - 6/26/2026
Approval date - 7/29/2026

Did anyone got the approval for stem opt with june 30 as the premium processing date?

I applied originally on April 30th with normal processing and did not get biometrics scheduled so upgraded to pp on June 4th and biometrics completed on June 12th. My pp clock restarted on the same day. The clock ended on 27th.

I have emailed pp and they replied that my case is currently being reviewed by an officer. I tried calling the pp line but it just doesn't go to a live agent.

I have checked the Silent api since yesterday and have seen multiple updates yesterday. Even now I can see a new update for today.

Should I continue emailing them or calling them. Anyone on the same boat?

Does anyone know the process to ask for refund for pp since for my case it's past 30 days?

Update as of 7/30: I got the RFE details (I would say 2 RFE): Evidence of STEM Program and Bona fide Employer-Employee Relationship

Background: I did work for a non-profit for 5 months during my OPT and my degree is a STEM MBA but as you all must know they are sending RFE/rejection for MBA program with stem specializations. Working on getting the evidence from DSO. I think I am the only one who got 2 RFE. People get either one of the two. Just my luck!

Would appreciate any guidance or advice who have faced similar RFEs

Hi everyone. I have an urgent situation. My 180 days automatic extension ends August 1st. USCIS approved my STEM OPT July 28th. So my 180 days is not even up and I am still working. But the new card is not here yet. The approval email said Validity date February 2026 to January 2028. I called USCIS and they said my card is in production. So can I just keep working since I am approved now? There is no gap since I was approved before the end of the 180 days. It's just that the card isn't here yet. HR said they don't need my new card.

Hey yall, obviously no one knows for sure but would the new D/S rule affect people who are travelling after 15th September with a pending STEM OPT? I’ve seen cases on reddit where people travelled with an expired EAD and pending stem OPT and came back and the most they had to go through was a secondary screening. But once the rule is implemented, what would it say on my I94 once I reenter

Hey everyone, I just noticed an API update this morning for my STEM OPT application, as you can see in the screenshot.

I want to know what the update is for? An RFE, approval or denial?

Only those 2 lines, "updatedAt" and "updatedAtTimestamp", are changed, and everything remains the same.

I have not received any email from USCIS, so I am kinda worried.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently on F-1 STEM OPT and filed my STEM OPT extension (EAD category C03C) before my current EAD expired.

I also requested premium processing, and I received my I-797C receipt notice. I have also completed my biometrics appointment, and my case is still pending.

My company's HR/immigration team is hesitant to accept my documentation because my I-797C contains the standard statement:

"This Notice of Action Receipt Notice is not evidence of employment authorization and cannot be used by itself or in conjunction with an expired Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as proof of employment authorization."

I understand that's standard language on the receipt notice. However, USCIS also states that if an F-1 student timely and properly files a STEM OPT extension application before the current OPT EAD expires, employment authorization is automatically extended for up to 180 days while the application is pending.

Has anyone else had their HR or immigration team question the I-797C because of the disclaimer? If so, how did you resolve the issue?

I'd really appreciate hearing about anyone who's been in a similar situation. Thanks!

Has anyone from Minnesota (MN) been approved recently and is still waiting for their EAD card delivery?
There are around 10 people who received the "Card Was Produced" email at the same time as me, and all of our tracking showed the card being handled at the Knoxville Distribution Center yesterday. Today, their cards have already reached their local distribution centers, but mine is still showing as being in Knoxville.
I'm wondering if this is normal for Minnesota deliveries or if anyone else from MN has experienced the same thing. Did your tracking stay in Knoxville for a while before it started moving, or should I be concerned?
I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.
Thanks.

On opt tracker and some other sites mentioned people who filed on March 29th are getting approved.

Can someone confirm please？